The Institute for Technology Asset Management will be holding a SAM Boot Camp during the week of March 20 – 24th, 2017 at INFOTEC in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This program delivers both the SAM Core Competency AND the SAM Advanced Enterprise Infrastructure credentials in a single week-long live delivery – at ~50% off the standard price – certification exam included.

What if your ITAM or SAM certification was global and based on your competencies instead of some so-called standards provider’s proprietary programs? The Institute for Technology Asset Management is the ONLY global ITAM / SAM credential provider that integrates practitioner competencies into a training regimen that delivers precisely the knowledge you need to succeed

– Short-Term as well as Long-Term. Here are some details:

The following is in response to Rory Canavan’s post on LinkedIn. You can read his original commentary here.

In the real world of technology portfolio management, there has been an unfortunate collision between SAM / ITAM training programs and applied process standards. The narrow practitioner knowledge focus, plus the initiative costs, linked with the unnecessary initiative complexity (for a clear majority of enterprises) translate into altogether too many failed asset management initiatives.

I think Rory hit upon the critical elementary roadblocks to both ITAM & SAM when he touched upon the nature of industry standards being sold by proprietary training providers. Standards should be easily accessed by any practitioner, from any sized enterprise, in any industry, anywhere in the world – not locked in to single providers who predicate knowledge of, and use of, those standards on only their own training/publications.

When there is a tightly controlled narrow range of intentionally divergent resources, practitioners are forced to choose one over another. If practitioners are continually locked in to their chosen credential providers, they may never gain access to alternative (less costly / less complex / more ROIC) options for reducing costs / risks while increasing delivered value and, ultimately, establishing the credibility of global certifications.

Within the Next Generation of SAM / ITAM training, practitioners no longer need to constantly fail in their attempts to “shoehorn” massive standards developed for multinational enterprises into their unique local small- to medium-sized business. Instead, The Institute empowers practitioners to scale down overly complex and unnecessarily costly standards to match their specific needs based on intelligent process management.

So? Here’s what we’ve done:

In 2006 the Institute for Technology Asset Management created the industry’s first “Competency-Based” SAM and ITAM credentialing programs (based on the original SAM/ITAM training systems Al Plastow developed in 2000). We’ve eliminated much of the groundwork for you by reviewing standards such as ISO & ITIL and ensuring that your practitioner training meets, and most frequently exceeds, the competencies needed to integrate those standards into your specific technology environment.

Competencies mean practitioners gain the skills they need to get realistic operational results while also competing in the asset management job market – based on skills / experiences employers are genuinely searching for. These competencies empower you to establish a core knowledge base or, if you desire, pursue a deep dig into a highly focused skill – based on services you can genuinely deliver.

Real World Example: The typical software asset management – SAM – training certification includes less than 20 minutes of actual contract-related negotiations coverage. The Institute starts practitioners out with six (6) times that level of skill. But we go significantly further than any other training option by opening your professional development to more localized training opportunities.

Competencies should know no knowledge borders. While (for example) the classic SAM certification body essentially forces practitioners to continue using a single source for ongoing professional development, The Institute encourages its members to pursue additional training at the local level as well as online, and that continual practitioner improvement is applied to your ongoing credential baseline. Further, The Institute will accept previous training certifications, integrating them into our existing competency requirements.

Real World Example: You can now “trade up” your existing proprietary certification to a global competency-based credential. The Institute will evaluate your previous training documentation, giving you credit for previous training toward gaining Institute credentials. Consider this the SAM and ITAM professional development version of a “competitive upgrade” – without all the strings attached. The same framework applies to your ongoing professional development.

When the typical practitioner, certified via the classic proprietary framework, wishes to continue or renew their “license” to practice, they are most frequently locked in to the original provider. To renew the certification, they’re usually expected to attend a costly conference, or attend a proprietary course (or six). As frequently, the renewal process will channel the practitioner into enduring software / hardware / or consulting industry-sponsored events, listening in to sales pitches rather than competency-based growth opportunities.

Real World Example: The clear majority of SAM training, certification, and re-certification opportunities are either directly sponsored by, or semi-controlled by, suppliers of IT goods and services. Does anyone honestly believe that these same suppliers are genuinely training practitioners to locate all opportunities for spending less, gaining additional value, or eliminating costly audits related to their products / services? The Institute programs are based on your own competencies, not on sponsor agendas. Institute credentials are 100% supplier neutral – about your skills, not on what suppliers want you to buy.

When practitioners consider the range of Institute competencies, a significant difference in credentialing becomes obvious: Institute credentials cover the range of reality competencies that any truly global credential should address. This enhanced range of skill exceeds, by a wide margin, any alternative SAM training program on the planet (we’ve narrowed the following focus to SAM to demonstrate the differences).

The Institute professional development credential is NOT for everyone. We’ve replaced – heavily supplemented – the classic SAM training to more accurately reflect the competencies you need to succeed – anywhere on the planet.

Real World Example: Most existing SAM training programs deliver less than ten (10) hours of actual instruction. That instruction includes any and all data entry into generic course handbooks – resources usually bulked up with extensive details that simply will not apply to a majority of practitioner needs. The Institute SAM program delivers over thirty-five 35 hours of focused time-on-task instruction that is supplemented by a comprehensive, self-paced, and customized workbook – where you genuinely apply what you have learned to your unique environment.

Real World Tragedy: In one globally recognized certification program, the approximately 12 hour SAM training session includes over an hour of indoctrination into the sponsoring organization as well as a two-hour tutorial on how to pass the certification exam. Neither of these time-consuming activities contributes to your actual practitioner competencies. What’s more, neither of these actions contributes to the credibility of your certification.

So… What are the competencies that The Institute delivers to our practitioners? Take a look at the list. Compare these competencies to the alternative training options. Keep in mind that The Institute does not deliver, nor will we deliver, the current “over-night” certifications that seem to be the existing standard. Nor will The Institute programs expose you to vendor/supplier sale hype in either instruction or communications.

Finally, and here’s a stunning concept: The Institute competencies also address mainframe issues, FITARA, and the MEGABYTE Acts!

Want more? Contact us and discuss our differences.

http://taminstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SAM-e1481815446227.jpg13342000Kelli Sehestedthttp://www.taminstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tambok_logo-300x138.pngKelli Sehestedt2016-12-15 15:25:392016-12-15 15:25:39SAM Certification? The Next Generation is a SAM Credential!

http://taminstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/data-loss.jpg28324256Kelli Sehestedthttp://www.taminstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tambok_logo-300x138.pngKelli Sehestedt2016-12-13 16:26:582016-12-13 16:34:53Has Your Business Been Victim of a Technology Disaster? Learn How to Prevent Being Hammered Again.

How can a basic license clause cost the small technology consumer tens of thousands of unnecessary dollars? It’s actually pretty simple: If you are a multinational software publisher with a product that very few people can implement without using your own highly specialized product team–you corner the market on all services. Or, maybe that support agreement locks the business technology consumer into a single exclusive resource–to include that handy exclusive pricing bracket.

When it comes to technology asset management or software asset management a single clause in a license or agreement could cost you big money you didn’t need to spend. Understanding the contract terms & conditions tips we discuss here could easily save you substantial cash during an implementation.
This four point Knowledge Brief is free and the cost reduction benefits are awesome.

Please Keep in Mind: The Institute is here to help you pull IT investment value back into your pockets, not to encourage you to spend even more.
Simple keys to reducing implementation costs:

Don’t ever accept the “standard” implementation agreement… It is never designed with your needs or rights in mind.

Always request implementation references… NEVER limit your reference reviews to the “select” group you are given. Always interview a few companies where the implementation has not gone well.

Be certain to establish your own standards for the implementation team members…

Conduct interviews to ensure you are getting the talent you paid for. Ensure that the same talent remains on task throughout the project.

Establish a serious written implementation schedule… Expect the implementation company to adhere to the schedule or pay significant penalties. There have been altogether too many failed implementations where it was easier for the contract implementation team to pay the penalty than to complete the job. Consider how much you will lose, not how much it’ll cost.

Track any proposed changes to the implementation schedule… Always establish–and enforce–a firm change management process. Without it, you are at the mercy of the implementation company.

The more time and brain power you invest in pre-planning an effective implementation review and building a clear plan, the less you will lose should the process fail…

Please understand that this list is minimal. Most often the implementation and subsequent support / maintenance costs will exceed the initial investment by as much as a factor of ten or more. Put the money where it will enhance you potential for success.

Want more? The Institute for Technology Asset Management can provide you with a wide range of cost reduction knowledge that you really need to succeed. You decide.

Your chances of being embroiled in a software non compliance—piracy—punitive audit are higher today than at any time in the history of copyright enforcement. Here’s how it works: During difficult economic times, or when your company loses personnel, you are opening yourself up to a significantly higher probability of software license enforcement audit scrutiny. In fact, your chances of becoming involved in a software audit could geometrically increase by as much as double for every five employees you let go.

Do you think this perspective is all so much hot air? When you combine the aggressive “Whistle-Blower Reward Programs” fielded by the software publishers and their enforcement industry friends, your level of risk is increasing as the economy becomes ever more unstable. Follow this LINK to discover methods for keeping what little corporate money you have – in YOUR enterprise pockets – rather than continuing to pay out more and more to the software and copyright protected products industry players.

There is no cost. The Institute for Technology Asset Management provides the “next generation” of supplier neutral software asset management professional development credentials to national and global SAMs.

Your negotiated license becomes useless when it’s been superseded by that shrinkwrap or clickwrap license your employees never read. We constantly warn professional software asset managers and their companies to steer clear of acquiring either shrinkwrap or clickwrap licenses for any purpose. (Let’s call them SCLs.) Read on to discover just one more reason to avoid these common software license scams.

Shrinkwrap & Clickwrap are the most costly & onerous licenses your company can possibly buy or use. Under these licensing schemes you essentially gain nothing of value and are exposed to ALL the risks. The suppliers designed things this way and they would dearly love it if you accidentally locked yourself into one—or more SCL.

This brief review covers just a few of the little-known risks of SCLs. Below are the methods used to bind you to hidden clauses within the unread license—clauses that can spell disaster for your company. Even worse, the powerful lobbying interests of the software industry have managed to ensure that these licensing games are binding – locking you to a license you were never able to read is 100% legal.

You should be feeling concerned…

Simple Answer to Our Title Question: Either of these licenses could easily void every previous license you own—including those that you invested a great deal of time and money in carefully negotiating beneficial terms and conditions.

Here’s How They Get You: When one of your employees, or a contractor, or a consultant, or any other individual with access to your computers, decides to download an unauthorized product, they can immediately bind you—legally—to the unread virtual license. Within the SCL—the licenses that copyright holders are perfectly aware you will never read—is a clause that automatically voids all previous licenses when the SCL becomes active. The next several clauses in the license will further limit your use and rights in relation to the new product—even support & maintenance coverage—as well as all preceding releases or versions of the product.

Real World: For many software applications, every time you update, patch, or fix there is a carefully hidden check-box that installs a new software product. The default for the box is “accept”. Only by consciously denying that check-box can you eliminate the unauthorized download. Failure to do so places a literally invisible software audit threat on the device.

Think this isn’t an intentional ploy to snag you into an onerous agreement? Think again.

Instant Solutions: From today forward, EVERY license and agreement you make with every technology supplier must contain a clause that very specifically and very clearly states that the agreement will NOT be superseded by any subsequent agreement or license. You can permit future modifications but only upon activating a clearly written agreement that must be mutually approved and signed by both parties.

Next, you absolutely must ensure that anyone with access to any of your systems is well aware that they are not authorized to acquire and or install any products covered by shrinkwrap or clickwrap agreements—period. This includes the necessity of informing (in written form) all suppliers of software-related goods that THESE are your rules of engagement. If they choose not to comply, they should also be choosing not to provide goods and services to your company and will be removed from your vendor list.

Finally? Enforce the rules—now—and ensure that they continue to be enforced. No exceptions. Not you. Not your CIO. Not your mom. Nobody. Sorry folks, but this is business and you are a prime target for sharp practices that could cost you enormous sums of cold hard cash.

But don’t listen to us. It’s neither our job, nor our intent, to provide either legal or accounting advice. You pay good money to professionals in those fields. Our task is merely to make you aware of some of these costly little minor details so you can check them out.

If you need any additional information, let us know. The Institute for Technology Asset Management is here to help you cut the costs and risks of business technologies—not to ensure that you pay even more.